The Law Society

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50% of businesses have experienced a cyber breach in the last 12 months. 🚨 Despite the risk, law firms are slow to adopt protective measures. Working with high volumes of personal and sensitive data, firms are prime targets for cyber-attacks. Ben Waterton, professional indemnity insurance specialist at Gallagher UK shares four steps firms can take to mitigate cyber risk: 🌐 Cyber defence strategies 🚫 Robust security controls 🧠 Employee education 🤝 Cyber insurance Hackers are always looking for opportunities to strike - this could be through a security loophole, using outdated software or phishing attacks. With a 36% increase in online breaches across the legal sector in the last year, it’s important firms take proactive measures. Find out more about how to keep your firm safe: https://ow.ly/YfRV50TNrET

“At the age of 15 I wanted to be a lawyer, but my teacher said I wasn’t A-level material. I believed that teacher and spent over 19 years doing admin for the council. But I knew in my spirit that it wasn't for me.” Qualifying at 41 years old, Pauline Campbell, principal litigation lawyer at Waltham Forest Council and one of our 2024 Legal Heroes, is now thriving in her dream career. She shares her experience facing adversity and challenges along the way ⬇️ “When I decided to retrain in my 30s, everyone told me to settle for what I already had. As an older black woman, people didn’t think I’d make it. “I hit the ground running and did my law degree full time whilst working 25 hours a week. “Getting my training contract was the scariest part. I was 39 and I didn’t know if anyone would take me on…I decided I might get a million “no’s”, but all I needed was one “yes”. I got the “yes” I needed at Kent Magistrates’ Court.” ✨ Starting in her career, Pauline faced prejudice and misconception as part of her day to day. She says, “people didn't believe I was capable because I was an older black woman with a cockney accent. As a trainee, if I ever double-checked an answer in court, it was assumed I didn’t know what I was doing.” Having overcome doubts and challenges, Pauline considers switching careers the best decision she ever made. For anyone considering doing the same, she says “it’s never too late to live your dream. The life experience you bring to the table makes you an amazing asset.” Read more of Pauline’s story: https://ow.ly/NeG250TMpZf

“I’d get the brunt of all the initial grief. People were angry, frustrated and devastated: they wanted justice and someone to blame.” Chrissie Wolfe, Partner at Nexa shares her experiences as a legal professional with identifying and managing vicarious trauma: “When I was a clinical negligence trainee, I'd often handle initial enquiries from clients to determine if a case was viable. “I took calls from people who were extremely distressed. Sometimes an accident had just happened and I even had situations where a parent had just lost a child.” Often, legal professionals aren’t equipped to manage vicarious trauma. Chrissie says, “I’d been trained in the law, but I’d never had any training to manage these situations. Chrissie adds, “It’s not just one client you’re dealing with either. You’ve got a caseload of people who are catastrophically injured and often experiencing psychological trauma as a result. "You might be working on a client’s case for three or more years, so you carry that emotion every day. It’s a burden.” It’s important that legal professionals are well-equipped to spot the signs of vicarious trauma and to find coping mechanisms which work for them. This might look different for everyone, from attending therapy to speaking to peers. For Chrissie, therapy has been a useful tool to manage vicarious trauma, she says, “because of therapy, I can show up for my clients in the way that we both need to preserve our mental health.” Read more about managing vicarious trauma in our feature with expert speaker, Mary Jackson, counsellor at LawCare, and Rebecca Wood, partner at Woollcombe Yonge Solicitors LLP: https://ow.ly/rkIy50TLMzB #VicariousTrauma (LawCare - the mental health charity for the legal sector)

“It’s never too late to follow your dreams and change your career.” 💫 Nadine started as a qualified social worker in her twenties and became a solicitor in her thirties ⚖️ 📞 More than two years ago, Nadine Thorpe, trainee solicitor at Kingsley Napley, received a call that changed her life - she’d been successful in securing a training contract and was on her way to becoming a trainee solicitor! But, before making her career change, Nadine often worried about whether or not she would succeed. She said, “I have always had this fear of ‘What if I don’t make it?’ I had this fear of being that girl in the office that wanted to be a solicitor but didn’t make it. “I’m so glad I did not let that fear paralyse me." Today, Nadine is currently in her first seat with the private client team at Kingsley Napley! Nadine added, “I feel so happy about where I am at in my career. I saw a post recently which said ‘You only need one yes’ and I completely agree. Despite my many training contract rejections, I got an offer at a firm which suits me.” “In the future, I wish to continue to study for SQE 2, continue with my training contract and hopefully do a seat in Family Law to tie in with my social work experience. “I also want to continue to create content to share my tips and tricks for the Solicitors Qualifying exams and inspire other upcoming lawyers.” Well done Nadine!

Planning Reform: "while it's certainly on the agenda, there may be a period of uncertainty and change while industry players wait to see which of the new government’s proposed reforms will be delivered – and when." - Amy Penrose (pictured), associate solicitor in the planning team at Farrer & Co. The latest edition of our Property in Practice magazine is here 📖 Inside, are 11 features, as well as commentaries and current awareness updates from the property industry's leading practitioners. Here's a preview of a few key topics! 🔎 Amy Penrose looks in depth at the government's proposed changes, after they signalled an overhaul of the planning regime in England and Wales. 👑 A raft of housing, planning and property reforms featured prominently in the King’s speech, but how will they affect property professionals? Lucy Trevelyan reports 🌱 Claudia Oliver and Jack Lightburn outline the practical matters parties should consider when dealing with Japanese knotweed ✍️ Priscilla Sinder looks at how strong post-completion processes can help property practitioners meet their obligations and avoid costly mistakes You can learn more about how to subscribe to our Property Section, and receive quarterly editions of Property In Practice here: https://ow.ly/49i250TJH7t

Congratulations to criminal defence solicitor, Chloe Jay, who's been appointed as the first female senior partner at Shentons Solicitors in its 200-year history ⚖️🎉 Chloe's commitment to one of the toughest areas of law is truly admirable. She now becomes just the sixth senior partner at Shentons in the last 50 years. Chloe said, "I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed as senior partner, and I want to continue to build on the firm’s excellent reputation both for client care and as a genuinely flexible and inclusive workplace for our staff. I am excited for the future." We spoke to Chloe about her career journey and experiences in criminal law. She shares how her firm tackles the financial challenges of her sector, feeling like an outsider in the court system, and her concerns about the future of legal aid. You can read that interview here: https://ow.ly/bTL150TIM0T

We are delighted to welcome Richard Atkinson as the 180th president of the Law Society of England and Wales! 🎉 Richard is a managing partner at Tuckers Solicitors LLP and specialises in criminal law, focusing on serious crime litigation. He is a solicitor advocate and has appeared in several high-profile cases. With over 30-years’ experience, Richard has served as chair of our Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee and is a current member of our Criminal Law Committee 👏 Richard said: “I am honoured to serve as Law Society president. I will continue to shine a light on the importance of improving the justice system, making it more accessible to everyone, upholding the rule of law and supporting our members." "Solicitors play an essential role in our economy and society. During my presidency, I look forward to promoting justice and maintaining pride in the profession as we celebrate our 200th year.” ➡️ Read more about Richard's presidential plan here: https://ow.ly/nsfJ50THSF3

As the new legal year starts, Nick Emmerson will reach the end of his term as president of the Law Society. Nick has led us through several key accomplishments during his presidency, some of which include: 🤝 Strengthening international relations, including with our counterparts in Asia and Europe by improving market access for foreign lawyers in countries like Japan, Malaysia and Greece ⚖️ Engaging with members in towns and cities across the country, such as Norwich, Southampton and Bournemouth, making sure local success stories are heard on a national stage 💡Advocating for better access into the profession by supporting solicitor apprentices And much, much more! Thank you, Nick, for your commitment to supporting and advocating for our profession 👏

Warm words, a lack of transparency and empty assurances. Delay, delay, delay with no concrete timeline for action... We can no longer ask firms to hold on in the hope of action from government that may never come. Duty solicitors haven't received a meaningful pay increase for over 25 years. But, they remain on call day and night, to make sure that everyone can access their right to free legal support. Earlier this year, we took the previous government to court because they were ignoring their own independent review, which demanded a bare minimum 15% pay increase for duty solicitors, simply to keep our justice system afloat. We won that dispute, and soon after, a new government was elected. It's been almost 100 days since the new government came into office, and they too have failed to give duty solicitors this pay increase. The new government has also failed to publish its response to a consultation on police station and youth court fees which would see a small rise in legal aid rates for defence solicitors. And, it has chosen to ask firms to bid for 10-year criminal legal aid contracts within a very short deadline, despite the uncertainty caused by the failure to do both the above. We have gone beyond a system that is based on goodwill, and now it is at the limits of financial viability. We recommend firms examine the viability of each type of criminal legal aid work they undertake to decide if they should scale back or withdraw altogether until there is meaningful action by the new government. You can read our full statement here: https://ow.ly/GTt650TFQPa